Nearly 15 million Americans have serious food allergies, and that number is growing. But these people aren’t staying home. They want to dine out…safely.  If you can accommodate them, they’ll reward your operation’s attention to their food allergies with loyalty and repeat business. 

You can show guests that you know how to keep them safe from contact with food allergens with a communications plan that focuses on three areas:

·       How the operation communicates its ability to address allergy concerns with the public

·       How servers communicate with guests

·       How the front of the house and back of the house communicate with each other

Communicating with the Public

Be sure that diners know that you have the ability to accommodate special requests. Include a line in print ads or on your website that your team has been trained in food allergy awareness, such as ServSafe Allergens. When guests call to make a reservation and mention a food allergy, be sure the host states that a notation has been made on the reservation about the allergy.  You can also let people know about any special accommodations your establishment has made, such as menu labeling, special menus, substitution lists, or a designated “allergy expert” on staff.

Communicating with Guests

Guests with food allergies should not cause panic among your employees.  Frequently review the steps that servers should take when a guest asks for accommodations related to a food allergy. However, if individual servers do not feel comfortable, designate one person per shift—usually a manager—to handle all food allergy-related orders. 

If a server is unsure about specific ingredients in a dish, they should ask the chef to speak with the guest about dish preparation, ingredients, substitutions, and concerns. Other options include:

·       Reading from a written list of ingredients

·       Bringing labels to guests for review

·       Creating a descriptive chart listing dishes that contain the “Big Eight” allergens (milk, eggs, soybeans, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, crustacean shellfish, and wheat)

·       Using special menu marks to highlight dishes with common allergens

When delivering the guest’s order, carry it separately from the rest of the orders directly to the guest with allergies, and be sure to check back to see if the meal was acceptable.

Communicating Between the Front and Back of the House

When delivering an allergen special order to the kitchen, the server must communicate the special order in person to the chef. Do not rely on the written order. There is a difference between a notation saying “no walnuts,” and a verbal communication that “the guest at table 12 has a life-threatening allergy to walnuts.” 

The server should include the name of the guest with allergies on the order.

Servers should confirm with the kitchen that an order is the allergen special-order meal during pick-up.  The kitchen may use one or more ways to identify allergen special orders, including:

·       Plate covers

·       Stickers

·       Flagged toothpick

·       Double plating

·       Different colored or shaped plate

Making the effort to create and implement communications policies and procedures for serving guests with food allergies means that guests can feel confident about choosing your establishment for their dining experiences and staff can feel confident that they are keeping guests safe.